- September 20, 2024
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Alexandra Gazzoli won the Sung Hyun Park Junior Championship by eight strokes. Courtesy photo
Hunter Smith, Taylor Washington and Demetrius Headley signed letters of intent to continue their track and field careers. Courtesy photo
The Matanzas track and field team gathers around Hunter Smith, Taylor Washington and Demetrius Headley, who signed track and field letters of intent. Courtesy photo
Alexandra Gazzoli has accomplished a lot in her short golf career. On April 17, she won her biggest event yet.
Gazzoli won an American Junior Golf Association tournament for the first time.
A sophomore on Matanzas High's golf team, Gazzoli shot 3-under par 210 to win the Sung Hyun Park Junior Championship by eight strokes. She led wire-to-wire.
Gazzoli shot 70-71-69 on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club in Palm Harbor, home of the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship. The girls tournament played 6,079 yards. Gazzoli had a clean scorecard over the 54 holes with 10 birdies, one eagle and eight bogeys.
"It's really exciting, and a huge confidence boost."
ALEXANDRA GAZZOLI
"It's really exciting, and a huge confidence boost," she said after the victory.
Gazzoli entered the tournament ranked 111 in the Rolex AJGA rankings, but with the win she moved up to No. 39 on April 20.
"It all came together," her mom, Sheila Gazzoli, said. "She hadn't played that course in a while. It's a difficult course."
Gazzoli, a student in Florida Virtual School Full Time, finished second at the Class 2A high school state championship in November.
Three Matanzas High School track and field athletes signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college.
Hunter Smith, signed with Flagler College. Taylor Washington signed with University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. And Demetrius Headley signed with Keiser College in West Palm Beach.
Smith, who is primarily an 800-meter runner, broke his ankle last summer and returned to have a good cross country season, said Tim Kane, the Pirates' track and cross country coach.
Washington has the Matanzas school record for girls high jump with a 5-foot-1 jump. She is also a 100-meter hurdler.
Headley is a hurdler and runs the 400 meters. A strained hamstring has hampered his senior season. He tried to train through it, but it kept getting worse, and finally the Pirates decided to shut him down for the season, Kane said.
"It's really good to see these kids do well," said Kane. "All three are really good, positive people that Matanzas High School and the Palm Coast community can be really proud of. They are well liked by their teammates, teachers and coaches."
Email sports news to Brent Woronoff at [email protected].
